


Ain't Too Proud

by Mellacita



Series: Switching It Up [2]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Bondage, Facials, Gags, M/M, Orgasm Delay/Denial, Rimming
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-12-23
Updated: 2010-12-23
Packaged: 2018-01-26 07:06:57
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,214
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1679255
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mellacita/pseuds/Mellacita
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Merlin's a bastard and Arthur loves it. Repost of KMM fill.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Ain't Too Proud

**Author's Note:**

> Written in 2010 for [this](http://community.livejournal.com/kinkme_merlin/2936.html?thread=851064#t851064) prompt at Kink Me, Merlin. Mild bondage and orgasm denial with a happy ending.

The campaign had been long and arduous, and the return to Camelot only marginally less so.

Arthur greeted Guinevere first, hugging her as she expressed her joy at his safe return. Lancelot followed on her heels, and their handshake was sincere, no matter how much they left unspoken. The court was next, and they long detained Arthur with tales of all that had happened whilst he had led the army in their march east.

Once Arthur was able to remove himself, he made his way to his chambers, where the one he most wanted to see waited for him.

It was not a reunion. Merlin had been on the campaign as well, but the court still looked on Merlin suspiciously, so he tended to avoid it at all costs. He had probably been able to bathe and dine while Arthur was forced to endure the court's petty need for every detail.

When he reached his chambers, Merlin had a bath waiting for him. A meal was laid out on his table.

"Longing for your old job, Merlin?" Arthur asked.

Merlin stepped away from the window, where he stood gazing out at the lower town. "No, sire. I just know my afternoon will be markedly improved if you are clean and well-fed."

Arthur grinned. "Indeed. Come on then, help me into my bath."

Merlin helped Arthur bathe, his hands far more familiar with the king's person than they were when Arthur was merely the prince. After Arthur was clean, Merlin wrapped him in soft linen towels, and led him by the hand over to his table.

"Going to spoon-feed me as well, Merlin?" Arthur asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Just looking after you, _my lord_."

"And very well at that," Arthur complimented him. When they finished eating, Merlin urged Arthur to lie down and rest for awhile.

"I know you're up to something, Merlin," Arthur warned. "But I'm too tired to ask what right now."

Merlin smiled.

Arthur woke a short time later to the feel of the bed shifting. He feigned sleep, the corners of his mouth turned up in a small but unmistakable smile.

The stroke of fingertips up his back, over the nape of his neck, and into his hair were his undoing, causing Arthur to give himself away with a shiver. He lifted an eyelid to see Merlin, bare-chested and sweet-smelling from his own bath.

“Mmmmmm,” Arthur hummed as he stretched his arms up, smiling lazily at Merlin. Merlin responded by trailing a single finger down Arthur's sternum, then pinching at his nipples until Arthur yelped.

Merlin held a finger to Arthur's lips. "Shhhhh," he cautioned. "It is the middle of the day, you know. Loads of servants about."

“Shut up,” Arthur muttered.

Merlin chuckled and brushed his hand down to Arthur's cock, giving it a squeeze. “Well, I could find a way to help you keep quiet.” He grinned even more widely when Arthur's cock jerked in his hand. “Someone's eager, eh?”

It still alarmed Arthur sometimes, just how much he liked it. A few years ago, the very idea would have had him bristling with indignation. But that was then. Many things were different now.

“Too bad you're so tired,” Merlin added, melodramatically. “I might enjoy hearing you beg a little. Watching you put aside that crown and let yourself be a man."

Arthur looked up into Merlin's knowing eyes and felt the beginnings of embarrassment before cursing and looking away. "I'm not wearing my crown."

Merlin stretched out on top of Arthur and took his face between his hands so he could rub at the stubble forming. “I do so enjoy it, you know,” he added. "Watching you relinquish your beloved control." _Almost as much as he enjoyed reminding him about it,_ Arthur thought privately. Merlin licked down Arthur's earlobe, to the hollow of his throat, finally back his nipples, tweaking them until Arthur's hands clenched in the sheets. He felt his cock harden further, and he was pretty sure that if Merlin didn't go through with it, he would have him thrown in the dungeons. Or at least into the stocks.

“I’m not that tired,” Arthur insisted. Merlin raised an eyebrow. “Please."

“Please… what?” Merlin murmured, leaning closer to Arthur.

Arthur bit at his lips. It was still so strange to him, even though he never regretted it afterwards.

"Please what?" Merlin prompted again. He watched Arthur carefully for any of their usual signals that it wasn't the time.

“Make...make me beg,” Arthur tongue seemed to trip over the words.

“It's daylight and you _are_ rather important, you know. Someone might come by and hear you,” Merlin warned.

Arthur shook his head. “I’ll be good.”

Merlin’s gaze turned feral, and Arthur shuddered in spite of himself. "I've no doubt of that. Stay there a moment."

Merlin got up and padded around the room, gathering what he needed. When he returned, he tossed some silken cords on the bed, along with a vial of oil and his neckerchief. His eyes took on a predatory gleam, and Arthur's toes curled in anticipation. He was still tired, but this was far more what he needed to recover from the stress of the recent campaign. Have all decisions, even the decision on how and when to come, taken away by someone he trusted implicitly.

Arthur had never given that up to anyone, before Merlin.

Merlin bent over Arthur, pushing and pulling him into a satisfactory position. Arthur pressed one of his hands to Merlin's head as he teased at Arthur's nipples again. Merlin always had a fascination with Arthur's nipples.

“You know,” Merlin began. “If anyone walks in, they’ll see.”

“They’ll see your naked arse before they see mine. I know how much you hate that."

“True,” Merlin admitted. “But I won’t be the King bound and gagged in my own bed, begging for release when I should be holding audiences in the Council Chamber.”

Arthur groaned at the image.

"Imagine if Guinevere came in," Merlin added.

"Considering she's this hour with Lancelot and likely engaged in a similar activity, I don't think that's a risk."

Merlin chuckled. "Who knows, though? They might want to watch."

"No," Arthur breathed out. It was too much. Merlin must have understood, because he left the thought alone while Arthur pressed his eyes closed.

“Open your eyes, sire,” Merlin demanded, holding Arthur's chin tightly.

Arthur opened his eyes.

“You’re sure about this?” Merlin asked him, with a gentle smile, as he always did.

“Yes,” Arthur gasped. “Please. Just... hurry."

“Sorry, what was that?” Merlin teased. He slapped the curve of Arthur's thigh lightly, and Arthur groaned again, louder.

“Oh, that's right. I was going to keep you quiet, wasn't I?” Merlin reached to where his neckerchief lay on the bed. “Open up,” he ordered.

 _Oh, no,_ Arthur thought, _not that godforsaken thing,_ but Arthur let him position the fabric and tie it tightly. His eyelids felt heavy when he looked into Merlin's eyes, which were glowing with an unspoken magic. He did that, sometimes, and Arthur never knew what it was he was doing. Protection spells? Pranks? It could be anything. He wondered why Merlin was bothering with cords and cloth in the first place. It wasn't like he couldn't restrain Arthur however he wanted with nothing more than a thought.

Oddly, now that Merlin could use magic whenever he wanted to, he seemed to want to use it far less.

One it was fastened, Merlin stroked Arthur's ear again. “I’ll take it off later, of course. I wouldn't want to miss the actual begging.” His words jolted straight to Arthur's cock.

Merlin pressed Arthur down onto his back and then stripped off the rest of his own clothing. His thin frame had filled out some over the years, but he remained _Merlin._ Tall, lanky, with a different sort of grace.

Arthur didn’t have much time to enjoy the view before Merlin used the cords to secure Arthur's wrists to the bedposts, wide and high above his head. There was no give, but they weren’t too tight. Arthur knew they would be once he started pulling on them. That was how he preferred it, and Merlin knew it.

Merlin did Arthur's legs next, spreading him wide open, taut enough that he could only writhe a bit. He tested the bonds, and deliberately suppressed the initial panic he always felt when control was taken away from him. The feeling was compounded by the fact that, thanks to Merlin's kerchief, Arthur's groan was nothing more than a gurgle. It was terrifying, and not a small bit exhilarating.

Merlin went to work on Arthur then, that wolfish grin never leaving his lips as he teased Arthur mercilessly, grazing his fingertips along every part of Arthur's skin, trailing small licks all over his king's body. Arthur had been fully hard since the first bite of the cords about his wrists, and now his cock stood rigid, darkened and bobbing against his belly as Merlin worked him over. He squirmed from time to time, panting and whimpering against the gag in his mouth, but Merlin was not deterred.

Arthur was almost disappointed when Merlin’s hands pulled at the gag, wondering why he was ending the game so soon. Instead, he was stunned when Merlin straddled Arthur's chest and rubbed his cock over Arthur's mouth.

They'd not done this before, not this way, and Arthur wasn't sure he could manage without his hands. He knew he was good enough at it; Merlin certainly seemed to enjoy it, anyway. But more often than not, Arthur ended up taking too much too fast, until he had to back off or choke or Merlin had to use his hands in Arthur's hair to help him keep an easier pace. If Arthur were honest, he'd admit Merlin was far more skilled.

Merlin touched his fingertips to Arthur's lips, then, gently pried Arthur's mouth open. "Can I?" he asked, his expression so sincere that Arthur could do nothing but nod eagerly. He used every trick he knew, that Merlin of all people had taught him. He still wished for the use of his hands, and it took him longer than normal to find a rhythm. He couldn't control the angle, not lying down with his hands bound.

"Arthur," Merlin whispered. "Relax. Let me." He rubbed his fingers again over Arthur's jaw. They felt unnaturally warm against his skin, and Arthur wondered what trick of magic Merlin was using now, and moreover, how on earth he had discovered it. He doubted there were records kept about such spells.

Arthur felt himself relax, and as he settled down, Merlin began to rock into Arthur's mouth. Carefully, still, but with unmistakable purpose.

Arthur moaned around his mouthful, suddenly more turned on than he had been in years at the thought, the reality of being used in such a way. He had long known his Court Sorcerer was devious, a cambion sent from hell when he wanted to be. Now, he gazed down at Arthur with a cherubic expression, apparently enthralled by watching Arthur gasp with the effort to take in his entire length.

Arthur held up well enough, but he nearly panicked as Merlin's thrusts become erratic and more forceful; he could barely keep up. He whimpered low in his throat, and Merlin seemed to notice his distress. Merlin pulled clear of Arthur's mouth, instead using his hand as he came, hard, all over Arthur's lips and face. He jerked a few more times, gasping quietly, before sitting back on his heels to grace Arthur with a crooked smile.

Arthur just stared, feeling Merlin's come slide down his face. Automatically, he darted his tongue out to lick some of it off his lips. Merlin's adoring eyes followed the path of Arthur's tongue.

Merlin leaned forward to brush Arthur's hair off his forehead before lapping at Arthur's face, cleaning him of come and the sweat and tears that had escaped. Arthur made a small sound of protest and strained up against his bonds again as Merlin replaced the gag.

Suddenly, Arthur heard activity in the hall. Knights walked by, armour clanging and their mail rattling, echoing against the stone walls. Arthur heard Sir Leon warn Kay not to bother the King and he tensed, eyes wide, as it seemed they might be discovered.

“Guess we need to get on with it,” Merlin said. "Although I did specifically ask Leon to ensure no one bothers us. He's very useful in that way."

Arthur felt his face heat.

"Does it bother you?" Merlin teased. "That Leon no doubt suspects we are engaged in something more than magical trial and error?"

Arthur nodded.

"Leon!" Merlin shouted, and Arthur's stomach felt like it dropped under the bed. "Just kidding," he continued with a cheeky grin. "Soundproofing spell."

Arthur glared. 

Merlin's fingers glanced along Arthur's chest until he reached his cock. He tickled at Arthur's balls, so lightly, over and over again, his eyes gleaming gold again as he added a slippery friction to the sensations.

Arthur babbled nonsense into the gag then, softly but with no lack of urgency. If he were able, Arthur would be well into the begging by now. He suspected that even if he could, Merlin wouldn't have listened. His feral grins and deliberately teasing caresses made it pretty clear that Merlin was getting far too much out of controlling Arthur to give up anytime soon.

Merlin alternated between sucking and stroking Arthur's cock for a maddening amount of time. Just when Arthur thought he could feel the orgasm begin to shimmer underneath his skin, an invisible vise tightened around the base of his cock and around his balls, and Merlin casually turned his attention to tickling and licking Arthur's toes, to brushing his long fingers against the soft skin behind Arthur's ear until he shuddered uncontrollably.

Arthur began struggling in earnest, his muscles in stark relief, until one of the cords came apart. With a wave of his hand, Merlin ensured Arthur's arm remained bound, and Arthur wondered again why he even bothered with the cords. Merlin stayed Arthur's struggles by pinning him down with his upper body, a move he'd never get away with without magic, and Arthur loudly grunted his annoyance.

"You need to be quiet if you want to come, Arthur," Merlin said.

Arthur nodded desperately, but it didn't persuade Merlin to get on with it any faster. Instead, he pressed Arthur's hips into the bed so he couldn’t move at all, could just silently wail and accept the torture Merlin was gifting him.

The torture escalated as Merlin slid down Arthur's body until Arthur couldn't see his face any longer. Arthur felt Merlin's tongue on his balls. The King could do no more than pant with the strange position Merlin suspended him in, limbs splayed but arse tilted to the best angle for Merlin to begin laving Arthur's hole with his tongue, back and forth, stabbing it inside at random moments until Arthur keened.

When Merlin pulled up and back into Arthur's line of sight, his lips were wet and his eyes bright. "So much better that way than using magic," he whispered.

He let Arthur collapse back down to the bed and rest for a moment before he resumed his torture. The invisible grip still prevented Arthur from coming even as Merlin slid an oiled finger deep into his arse. Arthur pushed back against it; he couldn't help himself. Merlin was half-hard again, but he didn't rush. He slid his fingers in and out of Arthur for what felt like hours. Arthur drifted in a haze of want while Merlin took his time.

At long last, Merlin dragged the neckerchief from between Arthur's lips. Arthur's harsh breathing and low groans filled the chamber as Merlin continued to fuck Arthur with two fingers. When Merlin kissed his way up Arthur's chest, his teeth caught on his chest hair, and suddenly Arthur had another item to add to the list of unexpected things that drove him mad.

Merlin kissed Arthur carefully, and when he pulled back he whispered, “Do you need to come?”

Arthur nodded his head frantically.

“Tell me,” he ordered.

“I need to come, Merlin,” Arthur whimpered.

He forced another finger into Arthur, hard. “You know what to do.”

Arthur looked at him in the eyes. “Please, Merlin."

Merlin looked back, expectantly.

“Please let me come,” Arthur said again, louder.

“Good,” Merlin said, kissing him. “Now again.”

Arthur's desperation him bolder. “Please, Merlin, I need to come. Please, please!” he chanted.

“What will you do for me if I let you come?” Merlin taunted him, slipping his fingers out to toy with Arthur's balls.

Arthur pressed his head sideways into his pillow, grimacing. “Anything, please.”

“Hmmm. Clean my workroom, naked?” Merlin smiled. “Suck me off whilst I sit on your throne? Polish my chainmail?”

Arthur laughed out loud at that. “Your chainmail hasn't been worn since I gave it to you!"

Merlin started to move away.

"I mean, yes, anything,” Arthur added hastily.

Merlin raised an eyebrow and continue to tease. Arthur could see that Merlin's cock was hard and throbbing again, but Merlin made no effort to deal with it. His focus was purely on Arthur. Arthur wasn't sure he could be so generous in Merlin's position, but he would have to try sometime. When he wasn't being driven mad by fingers slipping in his arse and rubbing his balls and an imaginary band around his cock stopping him from coming no matter how much he begged his traitorous sorcerer, that was.

“Merlin, please,” Arthur tried again. When Merlin still didn't relent, Arthur let his head fall back. "Please," he whispered again, plaintively, into the air. "Please, love."

It worked. Merlin relented and tipped more oil directly onto Arthur's cock before working his fist up Arthur's shaft over and over, sliding over the head with the twist he knew Arthur loved, rubbing slick and fast against that point on the underside that drove Arthur mad.

Arthur thrashed mindlessly against his bindings. Sparks began to itch their way up his spine when he felt the magical vise around his cock dissolve. Arthur shook uncontrollably as he began to come, Merlin whispering filthy endearments into his ear. Arthur's entire world, his entire life, narrowed down to that moment.

When Arthur came to, he was unbound and breathing quietly; Merlin had him wrapped up in his arms against his chest and was stroking his hair. Arthur stretched and cuddled further into his embrace.

“Merlin,” he breathed. “That was—"

“Beautiful,” Merlin finished for him, kissing the side of Arthur's jaw, his nose, and his eyelids. “Thank you."

Arthur shrugged against his shoulder, too relaxed to feel embarrassed. “You?” he asked.

Merlin brushed his fingertips over Arthur's eyelids. "Already taken care of. You can repay me later."

Arthur yawned. He looked forward to it. After he slept. “What time is it?"

“About an hour before dinner,” Merlin replied, gathering the bed coverings around Arthur. He gathered up cords, his kerchief and the oil, and shoved them hastily under one of the pillows.

"Still lazy with the tidying up, I see," Arthur muttered.

Merlin glared, and it was the last thing Arthur remembered before he slid into sleep.


End file.
